Shaun M pulls a heavy triple
A note to all our athletes competing in the Hoboken Winter Challenge
Developing a Plan
Many of our athletes participating have limited or distant formal competitive experience. Especially if you're feeling nervous about the whole thing, try to develop a game plan so that you gain a better sense of control and predictability for the workouts. This could be as simple as knowing what weights you're going to use, having a strategy for pacing the workout and asking other people what they plan on doing. That being said, it's important to be flexible and accept that you will probably have to modify your plan on the fly.
What can be done from now until then?
Not knowing what the events will be until a couple days or hours before competition is pretty standard in CrossFit. Developing the physical and mental capacity to deal with the "unknown and unknowable" is at the root of our philosophy and something you should keep in mind for the Winter Challenge. At this point, no genuine adaptation can be created specific to the workouts so the best you can do is try and refine your skill somewhat. Anyone who has come to our two Hoboken Skill Sessions has already toyed with the exercises and should feel a little more confident with the movements and workouts. Clean and Jerks, Kipping Ring Dips and Rowing are the only movements in the event which require significant coordination. Focus on them and work sub maximally to clean up any lingering form issues.
Intention
Ask yourself why you signed up for the event. Some folks are competing for rank while others are doing it more as a personal test. Whatever your reasons, remember to stay positive about the experience and simply do your best that day. You may end up exceeding or falling short of your personal expectations, either way, use it as a learning experience and always put things in perspective. Also remember that although the events are all individual competition, you're still part of a team and you're representing our affiliate. Set a good example for yourself, your cohorts and your competition.
Class reminder
This weekend's class are at 8, 9 and 10am.
There is no 7pm Hoboken Skill session tonight, I'll see you on Thursday!
Are you a member of the Park Slope Food Coop? Why or why not? If so, what is your favorite job?
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Becoming Your Own Massage Therapist (with a Foam Roller) NY Times
I’m a perpetually suspended/on alert member of the coop. I always dread my shifts but always end up having a good time.
I really like breaking down cardboard and putting them in boxzilla. Creating neat stacks in the machine and watching it all get crushed into a perfect cube is very satisfying for me. I also like pulling aisles downstairs and flirting with coop bettys.
I hate doing produce because you can’t perfectly stock irregularly shaped fruits. Also, laundry duty is TERRIBLE, never sign up for it!
i’m not a member but keep meaning to join. i’m interested to hear everyone’s stories.
and what if i *like* doing laundry, david? is is terrible like you are washing someone’s sweaty gym socks by hand terrible or just terrible bc you hate doing laundry terrible?
we should plan another ice skating outing this winter
Nick and I are members. We *loved* our job: unloading the produce trucks early in the morning and sending them down to the basement on the belt. We interact with the morning staff–Alexis, Jorge, Julie, Denny, Eddie–who are all awesome folks. And we get a sneak peak at what’s coming onto shelves that week. Especially in summer, I love doing the Hepworth Farms delivery from upstate. The guy who drives the truck is really nice, and they deliver absolutely gorgeous vegetables. Also, you’re hefting boxes for 2 1/2 hours, which is kind of a workout and at least feels useful. I hate the jobs where you don’t really have enough to do.
Right now, though, we’re on parental leave! Coop members get 1 year of parental leave which they can allocate to one or both parents as they see fit. We split it 50-50. I don’t think we can go back to our old shift when we’re done, though, since there’s no childcare at 5:30am…
Steph–I have a friend who used to do laundry. She *loved* it. Basically drop the stuff off at the laundromat across the street and then hang out at tea lounge, is how she described it.
UHHH, That’s exactly what I THOUGHT laundry would be. Me and my partner had a ton of aprons which had straps that needed to be tied a very specific way so they didn’t get all tangled in the machine. by the time the youre finished tying knots in the aprons the first load is done and needs to be moved into the dryer and so on and so forth. It was perpetual tying and drying. awful.
THIS JUST IN!!!
The winter challenge is scheduled to begin at 1 pm. The doors will open at 12 for registration.
Event 1 has been changed. We did a test run and deemed it to be too difficult for the average Crossfitter. The mens weight will now be 135. The Womens weight will be 83.
Workout 1
5 Clean and jerks (135/83)7 burpees
7 rounds
Time limit cap 20 minutes
I’m not a coop member because I’m commitment phobic.
That’s a slight improvement on c&j, but when I heard it was changing, I have to admit I was hoping for something more significant. Now I’m trying to decide if I should just try to do it rx’d. I’m leaning toward ‘no.’
And, a re-post from yesterday’s blog…
HOBOKENER’S !!!
How do we all feel about taking public transit to the event? The gym is about 3/4 of a mile from the PATH train in Hoboken. No worry about traffic, car pooling, waiting, etc…We will plan on arriving at 12:00 noon, 1 hr before the event is scheduled to start. This will give us plenty of time to get comfortable in the space, and attempt to frighten the other competitors.
Post feedback to comments.
Also, competitors should be thinking about their post WOD nutritional strategy. We’ve got 3 events with an average of 90 min rest between. You’ll need 2 small meals, something quick to eat and easy to digest. Small protein and carb based (minimal fat) snacks will probably be best. It’s not the time to try any new, exotic foods.
Another fun Hoboken training class bright and early this morning. Learned a jumping ring dip, and worked more on clean and jerks. Realized that I’m much more stable with a split jerk and will most likely do that for the competition. Did another 1500m row: 6:29 which is 20 secs faster than last night. I’d still love to shoot for 6:00…someone keep me to that!
As for the Co-op, Chris and I have both attended the orientation and keep going back and forth about joining. During the “tour” after my orientation, I found a lot of empty shelves and very limited meat selection. I guess we’d have to figure out the best times to go in order to get the best selection. Any suggestions/input on this?
For now, we’re pretty happy with Fairway. Although, someone was just talking about Trader Joe’s carrying grass-fed beef (which has been limited at fairway) so we might check that out too.
I love the Coop, cheap quality milk, meat and veggies. I work in Childcare which is fun, it’s basically just playing with kids for 2 and a half hours.
Checking in from Puerto Rico. I noticed my name was absent from the CFSBK Team representing in Hoboken. Please count me in. Is their some iniation or hazing to be part of the team?
I’m down for public transportation on the day of th competition, but also open to renting a Zipcar and driving over a small group (maybe other Zipcar members are going?)
i am NOT a member of the Coop and here is why. in the following calculations i bias each number in favor of joining the coop. if i spend $100 per week on groceries, according to the coop-website i could save $40. The work requires me to work 1 hour per week. i make more than $40/hr.
Uhh…Fox, that post was like so 9:49am this morning. Keep up!
I’m not a Coop member, but I am a loyal Greenpoint Key Food supporter. I save my trips to that area for SBK!
sarah and I are hardcore fairway + greenmarket people. is the coop better?
FOX – i’m in for public transit
the path runs ever 10 minutes on the 33rd street line to hoboken
also, i’ll hope to have stephbars with me!
and david’s “perpetual tying and drying” made me giggle.
I would join the Park Slope Co-op if they did not require you to work. Do not want to make any more trips to Park Slope than necessary. Plus the Flatbush Co-op does not force me to work. I just buy my food and leave.
I would rather use my very little free time to play with my son. But if my wife wants to work for our membership then I am willing to enjoy the benefits…
Foam Rollers!!!!I spoke with an outfit called performbetter.com The item # is 3022 on their website. The normal cost is $39.95, but a group order will bring it down to $33.95, free shipping. They will charge NY sales tax. This is their firmest roller with a pvc core, probably similar to the black ones at the gym. If anyone wants in, lemme know so I can place an order.
Anyone on for climbing tonight? I am debating if i should go to class or not.
Yes, I belong to the coop. Originally I joined for cheaper prices on better quality groceries, but now I find my favorite thing about it is pissing of Leo.
As for my shift, it’s receiving. Boxilla was cool the first time I did it, and it is fun crushing stuff, but I found it rather monotonous last Thursday. Although I did enjoy thinking rude thoughts towards anyone who’d bring in a stack of new boxes when I was close to caught up and watching how they’d refuse to make eye contact as they sheepishly retreated back into the produce section. Yeah, you know you’ve done a bad, bad thing.
I don’t mind restocking the raw row (the nuts, rice, and especially coffee, which smells awesome).
I’m with David on the produce though. That’s not my bag.
off, not ofthat sounds weirdI wish this site had an edit option
Not a co-op member. It is tempting and I keep wavering – especially when Margie brings in delicious things, offers me a bite, and then says “oh, it’s from the coop.”
To be honest, it kind of irritates me that they insist that all members of a household must be members… I see why they prefer it, but it’s a bit dictatorial. Additionally, I am already very busy and close to being overscheduled as is – I’d like to be at home more, not less.
All that being said, if I could do what Jeremy does and play with kids for a few hours, it would be kind of wonderful and refreshing.
hhaha most people I know hate their coop shifts.
We never joined either. We were part of a farmshare this past summer, and do Trader Joe’s, Greenmarket, and Fairway throughout the year.
Like Vince I’d rather use my little freetime to play with my son.
Jack,You may want to check out OPTP.com.We get our rollers from there and I think the multiple purchase rate goes down to something like $28 per.
Deb, you are right, thanks-I spoke with OPTP and they are less expensive, especially if we put in an order of 12 or more. I will need to speak to David since we would have to register with them as a gym in order to get the lower pricing. So, let’s wait until I get this nailed down. Meantime, anyone interested shoot me a line jlevavi@hotmail.com
I suppose I should weigh in on the whole co-op deal since I’ve gotten quite a few of you to join. I’m a squad leader for shopping – meaning I oversee the checkout area for my shift. I’ve been doing this for, like, 5 years.
It is cheaper than anywhere – definitely cheaper than the Flatbush co-op – because of the requirement that all members work. This means the mark-up on items is only 21% rather than the usual 60-100%.
The thing about the co-op is that it’s not really like any other place. You don’t just go in, grab your items and leave. You kibbitz with people over the sweet potatoes, ogle the new cheese selections, ask the person on line in front of you what the hell they do with THAT?, buy kombucha for $2 less than anywhere else, read the Linewaiter’s Gazette while waiting in the absurdly long line for express checkout, discover odd produce and obscure beer, have access to high quality, pastured meats and grassfed milk for WAY less money than even the farmers market, and (if you care) read the signs letting you know whether your beets are from some NY state farm, or within 500 miles, or organic, or none of the above.
But, you also have to put up with 15,000 members cramming themselves into a too small space, sometimes inconvenient shifts that you inconveniently have to make up when you miss them. Stupid, nazi-like rules, rude people, and convoluted processes for everything.
If you’re into being part of an organization that tries to put the needs of its community first, freqently in a less than ideal way, but maybe better than you might expect, then join. If you just want to buy your overpriced carrots and get the hell out, this is definitely not your cup of tea.
surf is insane at Waimea, live: http://live.quiksilver.com/2009/bigwave/live.php?btn_live=_over
OMG they are subbing push ups for ring dips for the ladies!!!!!!!!!
Shawn looks freaking he-yooooge in today’s blog pic. Nice!
FTPSCO
Fairway, baby.
‘you’re representing our affiliate.’ iow dont get drunk and pee in the punchbowl.
What the heck? Now it’s almost two easy. I mean, why bother?
Push-ups for ring-dips?! That’s a totally different work out now.
P.s. It isn’t like crossfit to have an entirely different movement for the ladies. I don’t like it.
Yeah, I smell a rat, too, Laurel.
I’m pissed that 1) they call us “ladies” 2) they gave us a different movement and 3) that it’s a crappy substitute for dips.
But mostly, yeah, I feel like I’m back in 4th grade being told I can’t run fast because I’m a girl. It really doesn’t fire me full of competitive spirit, since the event organizers obviously expect so little of me.
i’m not a member of the coop mostly because i dont live in ps. also my food shopping and cooking habits are crazy. i go weeks without shopping or cooking so it would suck to work when im not shopping or anything. as for the inane rules and monotony. i was in the military, the coop wont top that.
to all the “ladies” out there:
i might get flack for this but here’s my take. none of us have ring dips, am i right? we were all going to be subbing some form of jumping ring dip, jumping negative, some sort of kip, something. i also think that a jumping ring dip is, in a competition sense, not a good judge of my crossfitting abilities. david even said that depending on the ring’s height it makes the jumping dip easier or harder.
doing push ups definitely does change the event, but i think it gives us all the opportunity to better show our stuff. i can’t speak for everyone here, but i was definitely bummed when i found out there were dips and that i was going to have to modify the movement. i know this is a fun competition but its a competition none the less. having to modify the movements given was not something i wanted to have to do.
i know that the nature of crossfit is to be ready for whatever is pulled from the hopper – and we all would have done the dips and moved on. but this isn’t a qualifier, or a hopper challenge even. its a fun holiday competition and i am happy that i will now be able to do the 2nd event RXed with all you, yes, ladies.
do i believe they should have thought about the events a bit more before posting and then changing? yes. do i think men and women should have the same events? yes. (rugby is one of the only contact sports were there are NO rule variations between the men’s and women’s game just as an FYI) but am i excited to now really give 100% and go hard at the events as they stand now? YES.
take your anger and use it to refuel your fire.
I can’t do more than four ring dips at a time. Do *I* do push-ups? Just making a point here.
I’m unimpressed by the capacity of the event organizers to…uh…organize an event. If the program isn’t good, it shouldn’t have been posted in the first place. Are we supposed to be prepared for anything? Yes. Does it matter in the end, since this is just a fun event? No. But come up with a good program – one that you’ve tested on male and female athletes of various skill/strength levels – and then stick to it. And offer analogous alternatives to difficult movements for ALL non-Rxers, not just women.
Mostly, though, I’m unhappy to see Charlotte and other “ladies” unhappy.